Ladder saddle

ABSTRACT

A device for containing various work implements designed for use by workers who regularly use ladders. The device holds the implements in such fashion as to be ergonomically accessible while maintaining a reduced center of gravity and hence increased stability of the ladder/device combination as a whole. Use of this device increases safety and is cost-effective enough in its construction to be readily employed by workers in various arts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a holder of implements for individuals whosework performance regularly requires them to be located at the upperextremities of ladders, and is directed at a convenient means fororganizing and containing various work implements.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Ladders have been employed since their inception to provide a means bywhich a worker may be placed into a position which is in closesproximity to an article needing physical manipulation or an elevatedarea needing work such as painting, plumbing, etc. There are severalstyles of ladders available, as this field of art is well-established.The general types of ladders available include: fixed ladders which arecomprised of merely two rigid beams which are joined together by aplurality of rungs, and sliding ladders which are comprised of acombination of two fixed ladders. The two fixed ladders are orientedparallel to one another and are joined by simple hardwares which allowthe sliding of the ladders with respect with one another. By such anarrangement, adjustment of the overall length of the combination ispossible. The third type of ladder is the step-ladder. This consists ofa fixed ladder which is joined to a supporting member having dimensionsand construction similar to that of the fixed ladder portion but isdesigned primarily as a support. The supporting member and fixed ladderare oriented in a parallel configuration and are joined by means of asuitable hinge such that the ladder portion and support portion may beopened with respect to one another to form an essentially A-frameconfiguration which provides the ability to elevate ones-self in theabsence of a fence, wall or other structure normally required when usinga fixed ladder alone. It is to users of the step-ladder which thepresent invention is directed, but the instant invention is alsoanticipated as being useful on the other types of ladders as well, andit would be unnecessarily restrictive to view this specification and theappended claims as being delimitive in any way thereto.

One of the problems individuals who find themselves on ladders regularlyencounter is that they must prevent themselves from falling from theladder while performing the task at hand. Additionally, a variety ofhand-implements are often required to carry out a task to itscompletion. From a statistical standpoint, the probability of anindividual having a mishap varies directly as the number of times anindividual goes up and down from the ladder in connection with a job.Therefore, if it were possible to minimize the number of up-and-downtrips an individual were required to make in the normal course ofcarrying out ones duties, then the probability of a mishap could beaccordingly minimized.

One way to minimize the number of up-and-down trips required to carryout a task is to provide every tool needed for a given job in closeproximity to the location atop the ladder where the worker is situated.However, while the prior art contains many different types of devicesaimed at this end, none has been successful in design to beergonomically enjoyable, or cost-effective enough in manufacture to becommercially favorable for widespread adoption in industry.

Exemplary of the art in which the problems which the present inventionare contained are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,405 to Smith; U.S.Pat. No. 5,547,080 to Klimas; U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,302 to Ferley; U.S.Pat. No. 5,419,409 to Corulla; U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,802 to Chatham etal.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,803 to Finster et al.; and U.S. Pat. No.4,261,435 to Winter. It is indeed unfortunate that all prior art towhich the instant invention relates has been highly specialized,requiring such specialized tooling that the cost has prohibitedwidespread market acceptance. Additionally, the high degree ofspecialization of each prior art device limited the useful audience to aselect few laddermen within one type of trade, for example, carpenters.The prior art devices are also cumbersome in their use and awkward tostore when not in use.

It would be preferable for a ladder tool caddy to be inexpensive inmanufacture, useful by a variety of tradesmen, and easy to use andstore.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the shortcomings contained in the prior art, it is anobject of this invention to provide a convenient device through the useof which laddermen may minimize the number of up-and-down trips requiredthem on a given task.

It is an object of this invention to provide a means for caddying toolsused by laddermen.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a means for caddyingtools used by laddermen which is ergonomically enjoyable.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a means for caddyingtools used by laddermen which is cost-effective enough in itsmanufacture to gain wide acceptance by industry.

Finally, it is yet another object of this invention to provide a meansfor caddying tools used by laddermen which is useful by tradesmen in allfields.

As an added advantage, the instant invention eliminates the need for theworkman to carry heavy tools on his belt which might otherwise tend tocontribute to a situation of imbalance, which could catalyze a mishap.

The objects of this invention are achieved by providing a novel fabrichood which is affixable to the top portion of the step-ladder. Theuppermost two rungs, (including the top rung) and the frame members ofthe ladder join together so as to form the framework of an essentiallytrapezoidal-solid volume at the top of the step-ladder. The hood of thisinvention is shaped so that it encloses this trapezoidal-solid volume.The hood of this invention also comprised pocket portions on itssurfaces in which various tools and other implements such as screws,solder, nails, hammers, saws, wrenches, etc. may be securely housed.

An unexpected advantage of this invention is that the hood contributesto the structural strength of the ladder and provides increased tractionfor the topmost step.

A further unexpected advantage of this invention is that the center ofgravity of the ladder to which the instant device is attached is reducedby virtue of the locations of the tools and implements held being lowerthan those analogous locations described in all prior art devices. Thisresults in increased stability heretofore unseen in the art to whichthis invention pertains, and represents a major advance in safety.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The reader of this specification will appreciate pictorialrepresentation of a device according hereto, and is referred to thedrawings in which:

FIG. 1 represents a perspective view of the device of this inventionattached to a conventional step-ladder.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the rear, left side and topportions of the instant device.

FIG. 3 shows the left side elevational view of a step-ladder to which ahood in accordance with this invention is affixed.

FIG. 4 shows the right side elevational view of a step-ladder to which ahood in accordance with this invention is affixed.

FIG. 5 shows the front elevational view of a step-ladder to which a hoodin accordance with this invention is affixed.

FIG. 6 shows the rear elevational view of a step-ladder to which a hoodin accordance with this invention is affixed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides an article of manufacture which increases thesafety and easiness by which persons working atop ladders may accesstools and implements while working at elevated heights.

In its most preferred form, the device of this invention is a hood-likefabrication of woven fiber stock. It is contoured so as to snugly wraparound the upper portion of an ordinary step ladder when the ladder isin its normally opened position used when the ladder is in service. Thehood is shown affixed to a conventional step-ladder in the variousdrawings, in its most preferred form, in position and ready for use. Thehood is secured to the ladder by suitable fastening means and containsseveral pocket means and other convenient provisions for containing andsecuring the various tools and implements which may include: hammers,pliers, nails, solder, pipe lengths, adhesives, saws, drills, etc.

The pocket means are preferably constructed of the same fabric stock asthe hood itself, although this is not necessary for the invention to actin its intended function. Preferably though the pocket means and thefabric of the hood are the same material, with woven nylon being themost preferred material. Other fabric stocks are contemplated as beinguseful for construction of the instant device, which include: wovencotton, woven nylon, woven rayon, woven polymers, woven polyester,kevlar(TM), nomex(TM), etc. Virtually any fabric material will suffice,provided it has the tensile strength to withstand the gravitationalforces it normally encounters when loaded with the various tools withoutphysically yielding and thus compromising the intended function.

Referring to FIG. 1, 10 refers to the top portion of the hood which is anon-skid surface and may include various non-skid polymeric treatmentswell known to those skilled in the art of applying non-skid treatmentsto surfaces. This function is also synergistic insomuch as the non-skidtreatment is preferably a waterproof polymeric coating such as apolyurethane coating and it tends to keep moisture from rain frompenetrating into the fibers of the rest of the hood. The side panels 12form an integral portion of the hood and are attached to the top 10 andstep-side panels 14 and front panel 16 by stitching.

The hood of this invention is attached to the conventional step-ladderby fastening means 18 which preferably are straps but may also comprisecords or other equivalent means. There is affixed a handle 20 at the topof the hood which assists in removal of the device of this inventionfrom the ladder at the appropriate time. The step-side ladder uprights60, front ladder uprights 62, folding ladder brace 64 and ladder bracehinge 66 are shown for clarity.

As heretofore mentioned, there are attached to the instant devicevarious means for holding the several implements or tools which are tobe used by the workman. These include: a zipper slash pocket 30, severalvariable-size open slash pockets 32, a large bellows-type pocket 34, aplurality of tapered slash pockets 36 attached to the side of theinstant device, the slash pockets 38, 40, and 42, loop-type holders 44and 48, a plurality of grommets 46 located within the fabric itselfwhich may accommodate s-hooks, and a zippered document pocket 50suitable for containing blueprints.

In order to use the device of this invention, one begins by placing thestep ladder in an open position. Next, the hood is placed over the topportion of the ladder (the apex) so as to effectively enclose anessentially trapezoidal-solid volume inherently formed by virtue of theladder's constructional dimensions. For purposes of this invention, theapex portion is defined as the uppermost portion of a step-ladder,including all support members, braces, etc which are located above thethree topmost steps of said ladder. The hood is then secured bytightening the fastening means 18. The workman next places the desiredtools, implements, documents or the like in the desired positionsprovided for by the various pocket means, holder means, grommets, etc.Once the tools are in place, the workman ascends the ladder and beginshis duties, having close at hand all the necessary tools required tocarry out the specific task at hand. The various implements, once inplace, may be left in their respective positions and the hood removedfrom the ladder at the end of the job by first loosening the fasteningmeans and lifting on the handle 20. Conveniently, the whole may bereplaced upon the ladder at a later time for continued work, or at thebeginning of a new job.

Consideration must be given to the fact that while this invention hasbeen described and disclosed in relation to certain preferredembodiments, obvious equivalent modifications and alterations thereofwill become apparent to one of ordinary skill in this art after readingand understanding the contents of the specification herein. Accordingly,the presently disclosed invention is intended to cover all suchmodifications and alterations, and is limited only by the scope of theclaims which now follow.

I claim:
 1. A device useful for conveniently containing various workimplements for use with a step ladder which comprises:a) a rectangulartop portion; b) a trapezoidally-shaped first side panel connected tosaid top portion; c) a trapezoidally-shaped second side panel connectedto said top portion in a position opposite to that of said first sidepanel with respect to said rectangular top portion; d) a step-side panelconnected to said top portion; and e) a front panel connected to saidtop portion, wherein said front panel is connected to each of said sidepanels by stitchig.
 2. The device as set forth in claim 1 furthercomprising a means for adjusting the tightness of at least one of saidpanels about the structural members of a step ladder.
 3. The device asdefined in claim 1 further comprising at least one pocket means.
 4. Thedevice as defined in claim 3 wherein said pocket means is open on atleast one end.
 5. The device as defined in claim 3 wherein said pocketmeans is sealable by means of a hook-and-loop type fastener.
 6. Thedevice as defined in claim 3 wherein said pocket means is sealable bymeans of a zipper.
 7. The device as defined in claim 3 wherein saidpocket means is sealable by means of a conventional fastener selectedfrom the group consisting of: a button and hole, a snap fastener, and arivet.
 8. A combination designed to caddy various implements for thoseperforming utility work while in elevated locations comprising:a) aconventional step-ladder; b) a durable fabric device which comprises:i)a rectangular top portion capable of being positioned over the topplatform of the ladder; ii) a trapezoidally-shaped first side panelconnected to said top portion; iii) a trapezoidally-shaped second sidepanel connected to said top portion in a position opposite to that ofsaid first side panel with respect to said rectangular top portion; iv)a step-side panel connected to said top portion; and v) a front panelconnected to said top portionwherein said front panel is connected toeach of said side panels by stitching; c) a zipper means as an integralpart of said device disposed longitudinally on at least one of the facesof the solid trapezoid inherently defined by the device; and d) at leastone means for containing implements which is attached to the outside ofsaid device.
 9. The combination as set forth in claim 8 wherein saidmeans for containing implements includes at least one pocket meansaffixed to at least one of said side panels or front panel.
 10. Thecombination as defined in claim 9 wherein said pocket means is open atleast one end.
 11. The device as defined in claim 9 wherein said pocketmeans is sealable by means of a hook-and-loop type fastener.
 12. Thedevice as defined in claim 9 wherein said pocket means is sealable bymeans of a zipper.
 13. The device according to claim 1 wherein saidfront panels and said side panels are connected by stitching.
 14. Adevice according to claim 13 wherein said top portion includes anon-skid polymeric surface treatment.
 15. A device according to claim 13wherein said top portion includes a handle portion.
 16. A deviceaccording to claim 13 further comprising a fastening means for adjustingthe tightness of the fabric sheath about the structural members of saidstep ladder.
 17. A device according to claim 16 further comprising atleast one pocket means.
 18. A device according to claim 13 wherein atleast one of said side panels is attached to said front panel by meansof stitching.
 19. A device according to claim 13 further comprising azipper means as an integral part of said device disposed longitudinallyon at least one of the faces of the solid trapezoid defined by thedevice.
 20. A device according to claim 17 wherein said pocket means issealable by means of a hook-and-loop type fastener.